Driver in Tuscany

M Johnson shares with us her experiences using Tuscany Transfer while vacationing in southern Tuscany, in Montepulciano.

Tuscany Transfer

We hesitated about staying in southern Tuscany because we really did not want to drive but were told by many that one really needed a car to see the countryside. Yes, I know, it sounds faint-hearted to a lot of people to say we didn’t want to drive, but we know our limits and didn’t think we would enjoy much if one of us was concentrating on driving and another on reading a map. Further more, we didn’t relish the thought of having dinner without wine so that we could drive ourselves home safely.

We feel very lucky to have found Tuscany Transfer by Autonoleggio Torelli Emanuele, a service based in Montepulciano, in Slow Travel’s classified. Though we couldn’t find any recommendations for the company, we were impressed by Emanuele’s prompt and complete e-mail responses. (It turns out that until he recently started his own company, he drove for another service.) After many back and forth e-mails, we settled on an itinerary and booked his services for all the trips we wanted to make during the week we stayed near Montepulciano.

Emanuele's service more than met our needs. Besides the obvious requirements - showing up on time in a clean car and driving sanely - he was knowledgeable about the area and its history and was very fluent in English. And he was pleasant even when dealing with our too-heavy bags and when he picked us up at 5:00 am for our flight home.

He gave us prices for each trip individually, and there were no changes or surprises. Prices ranged from €15 for a short ride into town and back for dinner to €280 for an entire day trip to Assissi. Prices depend on a combination of distance and time involved. The best thing to do is contact Tuscany Transfer while planning your itinerary and decide what trips make sense. We split the cost three ways, but his car holds up to six people, so for a larger group, it makes even more sense.

Yes, this all cost more than renting a car, but by the time we added up all the charges for taxis, trains, and car rental that we would have incurred, the extra cost was not so great as you might think. Maybe we are wimps, but the peace of mind was well worth the price.